News

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our newsletter for the fourth week of the Summer Term 2023. It’s Week B, so year assemblies are taking place this week.

I hope that you and your families enjoyed the long weekend and took time to view, or participate in, some of the events around the Coronation. For me, the big message to take away was that of service and community - very much in accord with our Lampton values of excellence, respect and integrity. 

Now with two Bank Holiday weekends behind us, we look towards the end of our academic year on Thursday 25th May with school closed for an INSET day on Friday 26th May. In these last remaining weeks, it is important that routine is maintained so that students can complete the year, and final preparation for their Public Exams well. Students should be: on-site by 8.30am ready for Registration at 8.40am - students arriving after 9.10am will be marked as absent for the morning session as the register will have closed; full school uniform - including blazers - must be worn to and from school and when around the school site - blazers may be removed in lessons. Making sure that all members of our community follow these basic routines well will ensure that we all enjoy successful days in school. 

Below, you will see information about Y11 exams - some which have started this week and really begin in earnest for the whole cohort next Monday. There is also a link to a letter from Ofqual about this year’s exams. It contains information about grading for this year - going back to pre-pandemic standards and adaptations for students. Please take time to read this if your child is in Y11 or Y13.

Next Tuesday (16th) we look forward to welcoming Y9 students and their families for their celebration event, with Y10 the following week. So, a busy time all round!

With best wishes for the week ahead.

 

Stephen Davis

 

Arrangements for Year 11 examinations

In Year 11 assembly today, our Examinations Officer Ms Lewis briefed students on the arrangements for the GCSE examinations. She stressed the importance of attending the pre-exam meetings before each examination (8.20 for a 8.25 start for morning examinations) - both as an opportunity to go into the exam secure on both key knowledge and technique. Ms Lewis also reiterated the importance of handing in mobile phones - these will be kept securely in Student Services. If a student brings a mobile phone into the examination (whether it is used or not) that constitutes a serious breach of examination rules and the school is duty bound to report it to the exam boards, and the student is likely to be disqualified. Students were advised to never leave phones in bags outside the exam hall, as in the past phones have been stolen. 

 Ms Lewis also reminded students that they have been sent personalised exam timetables via email - we strongly recommend that this is displayed in a prominent place at home (fridge door, for example) so that everyone at home has a role in ensuring students are well prepared for their exams. A reminder also that the contingency day is on Wednesday 28th June - this means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam until Wednesday 28th June 2023. This decision is not a school decision and applies to all candidates in all schools. 

 

Ofqual Letter on GCSE and A-Level examinations 

The Exams regulator Ofqual has recently written to school with guidance on upcoming public examinations - please follow this link for further information.

 

Safeguarding briefing - Substance abuse

It is well known that adolescents like to experiment, push boundaries and take risks - and it should be no surprise that this often manifests itself in substance abuse.  Teenagers may view the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and / or illegal drugs as part of growing up. At school, we seek to educate students about the risks of such behaviour through the tutor programme and PSHE. It’s also important as parents / carers to know about the potential type of illegal drugs that children today may have access to. The website Talk to Frank is a good place to start. If you are concerned about the safety of wellbeing of your child or any other, please do contact the safeguarding team safeguarding@lampton.org.uk.

 

Lockers

We have recently made lockers more convenient for students to use by placing them in more locations around the school. There are now lockers on the first and second floors of the Main Building, on the ground floor of the Spring Grove building and in the Communications Centre (more details on the Google Classroom year group pages). These lockers are available to rent, and are useful for storing books, sports kit, a coat, food or valuables. There’s no key to lose, just a secure code to remember. To rent a locker, visit www.locker.rentals and search ‘Lampton’.